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As far as beasts of burden go, New York City's new – and much maligned – Nissan NV200 "Taxi of Tomorrow" isn't a bad one. It's space efficient, reasonably economical, and its simple construction should mean it's pretty robust over the long haul, too. But it lacks panache and a sense of occasion – let alone a sense of humor – three things this this Toyota JPN Taxi Concept we found at the Tokyo Motor Show has in spades.

Unfortunately, that's about all the information we have on this cheeky London-taxi-inspired showcar. Toyota hasn't provided much in the way of details, other than to proclaim that the five-seat JPN was "created with Japanese hospitality in mind" and it "aims to enliven city streets." Japan's livery landscape has long been occupied by traditional three-box sedans – models like the Toyota Crown and Nissan Cedric. The JPN Taxi at just over 171 inches would appear to offer both a tighter footprint and added whimsy, both of which are in the automaker's favor; we hear it hopes this concept will one day become the country's own version of America's yellow Crown Vic cab.

Toyota isn't providing powertrain specifications, but we like the airy feeling of the interior (Japanese cabs typically don't have cumbersome partitions between cabbie and passengers), the minimalist driver area with three screens, and the widescreen overhead video system for passengers that bookends the panoramic moonroof. Check it out in our gallery of live shots and let us know what you think in Comments.

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A next-generation taxi concept car created with Japanese hospitality in mind, the JPN Taxi Concept aims to enliven city streets.

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There are a lot of elements I like in the design, but overall it is ugly. I think if the body crease to boneline transition were less gradual. Moving the crease up to the top of the front wheel arch straight back to the top of the rear wheel arch would add visual weight to balance the wonderfully large green house. Second the tranistion from the top of the front door to the middle slinding door and from the middle slidding door is awkward. The solid section of the front door needs to be raised to meet the middle door at a higher point. The top of the rear quarter glass should be angled, starting from its current position where it meets the back glass rising to where its top rounded corner is level with the top of the JPN Taxi sign.

I wish I could rate your comment higher, not because I agree, but because it's a well written critique of the design. You describe the aspects you like/dislike, and why, and what you think could be done to improve the design. It's refreshing to read a comment that is not 'Looks like a turd, dur hur hur...'.